


Neither a Demon nor a Monster

by orasurana



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Time Skip, no beta we die like Glenn, not quite established relationship, slowly healing dimitri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24317623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orasurana/pseuds/orasurana
Summary: It's a few weeks after the Battle of Gronder, and Byleth can't sleep. Neither can Dimitri.A pretty short fic of Byleth and Dimitri having a chat late at night.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 1
Kudos: 56





	Neither a Demon nor a Monster

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, it's been years since I've written fanfiction and this is my first time actually posting. I wrote this short piece mostly just to try to get back into the swing of things. Sorry for any errors, its two in the morning here. If I've done something wrong with the tags or something, please let me know in the comments. As I said, this is my first time doing this. I'm also not sure if I really have a grasp on post time skip Dimitri as a character.

Of all the battles Byleth had taken part in, the battle at Gronder had been the worst, by far. So many people she’d known, former students of hers, their blood had coated her sword. Even days later, there were moments when she was cleaning her sword in the dying light and could still see flecks on the blade. Her hands would shake and she would wipe at her blade obsessively, as though she could also wipe clean the memories of her sword going through her former students’ stomach.

And of course, she’d barely slept at all. Not that she’d been sleeping much since coming back after her fall. Often, she found herself wandering the monastery grounds late into the night. This night was no different. After tossing and turning for a few hours, she’d left her room and walked through the monastery. She’d gone to the greenhouse and lakefront first, then the old, abandoned classrooms of the officers' academy, then Rhea’s office. But eventually, she found herself where she always did. Jeralt’s old office.

It looked just how it always had, no one had moved in after Jeralt had died, and after Edelgard’s attack on the monastery, it had been mostly left to ruin. All of Jeralt’s things were still there, right where he’d left them. After his death, Byleth hadn’t had the heart to collect and organize his things. The office was like a place out of time, where Byleth could go to catch her breath, away from a world that was moving too fast for her. Byleth paced the room for several minutes, occasionally pausing to toy with something on Jeralt’s desk or on his bookcase.

Eventually, she found a place by the window, looking out solemnly, waiting for the sun to rise. She stayed lost in her thoughts until a sound, just outside the office, drew her attention. It was the middle of the night, wasn’t it? There shouldn’t have been anyone in the halls. Curious, Byleth, as silently as possible, pulled open the door to the office and peeked out. The hall was so consumed in darkness that Byleth couldn’t see anything, but she could hear footsteps, heavy and slow, making their way down the hall.

It wasn’t exactly that Byleth was afraid of ghosts, or even that she believed in them. But the sound of those footsteps, steadily getting closer in the darkness, sent a chill down her spine. Conjuring a flame in her palm, Byleth dashed out into the hallway. Trying to project authority, she commanded, “Reveal yourself.”

There was a moment of silence, and then further down the hall, she heard her name in Dimitri’s voice, “Byleth?”

“Dimitri?” Byleth took a step forward him, and at the same time, she heard the footsteps coming closer, faster, until she could see Dimitri, half-masked in the shadows but very visible. “What are you doing?” The unsaid part of that being, why are you wandering the halls in the dark?

Dimitri looked at her without responding. He looked haunting, his piercing blue gaze a bit intimidating if Byleth hadn’t already gotten used to it. The dark circles under his eyes added to the look. If I didn’t know him, I might have actually mistaken him for a phantom, Byleth pondered.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Dimitri said, simply, as though that were a good enough reason. Although, Byleth was much the same.

She held open the door for Dimitri. “Neither could I,” she said.

Dimitri stepped into the office and looked around. “I haven’t been here since I was a student,” he said. “It looks the same.”

“I’m glad,” Byleth told him. “It’s the one thing that didn’t change.”

Dimitri turned to look at her. He was much taller than he’d been as a student, and towered over her, his eyes looking deep into hers, searching for something. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry. As difficult as it's been here… I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you.” In a move so gentle that it startled Byleth, Dimitri raised his hand and with it, tucked a strand of Byleth’s hair behind her ears. He must have felt her tense up and freeze because he pulled back suddenly after with a hurt look on his face. “Coming back after all this time, only to find a wild boar. A monster. It must have been hard.” The regret and sorrow were clear in his voice.

Byleth reached out for his hand and pulled it back to her, almost without thinking. Though the sudden touch had surprised her, she found that she did not dislike it. They touched so infrequently now, where in the past Dimitri was always reaching out for her, holding her fingers, placing his hand on her back or on her knee. She’d missed it, she realized. His hardness, as well as his warmth. “You aren’t a monster,” Byleth told him, making sure to hold eye contact so he could see that she was being sincere. “When I was a mercenary, and they called me Ashen Demon, I let myself believe them. But I wasn’t a demon. Just like you aren’t a monster. We’re just people who are struggling, who have trouble being understood.”

Dimitri breathed deeply and leaned over, meeting his forehead with Byleth’s, eyes closed. “You understand me, at least.”

“I try,” Byleth said seriously. “If only I hadn’t fallen that day. I could’ve been here for you.”

Dimitri gently took Byleth’s chin between his fingers and tilted it up, so that Byleth had to look at him. His eyes were so filled with emotion that Byleth found it difficult to look at them. What emotion exactly, she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t think Dimitri really knew what he was feeling, either. “I think… If you hadn’t fallen that day, you would have been killed or captured by that woman. Like Lady Rhea. And then all would be lost, truly.”

Byleth didn’t want to think about it any longer. She only wanted to think of Dimitri, of how close and warm he was. Dimitri apparently had similar thoughts running through his mind. They were so close, their lips were almost touching. “I don’t know how I survived these years without you, Byleth,” Dimitri said, his voice dripping with desire. “I also don’t think I could’ve kept going if you hadn’t come back.” Then, he leaned down and kissed her.

Byleth’s first instinct was to pull back, but Dimitri’s hands were on her face, keeping her close. His kiss was gentle, hesitant, but his grip told her that he was holding back, that he wanted so much more. It isn’t right, Byleth thought. We have too much else to focus on. But even knowing that, she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. Seeing her enthusiasm Dimitri deepened the kiss. His teeth grazed her lips, and a small gasp escaped Byleth’s mouth. The heat between them was ever-increasing and more, until it was unbearable. Dimitri moaned, his hands going from Byleth’s face to her neck to the small of her back. 

After a few moments, Dimitri’s lips separated from her own. She felt their absence only, briefly, as seconds later then they were on her neck, nipping at licking at the skin there. Byleth reached up to entwine her fingers in his hair, tugging softly when he began peppering kisses just below her collarbone. His hips jerked upwards, pressing against her in the most pleasant way.  
“Byleth…” His voice was barely above a whisper. She’d always took pleasure in the sound of her name on his lips, but this time, the lust apparent in his voice was close to driving her crazy. It wasn’t possible for them to get any closer physically, and yet Byleth still felt they weren’t close enough.

Suddenly and, rather reluctantly, Dimitri pulled away. The look on his face made it clear: as much as his instincts were telling him to keep going, he wasn’t really ready. Not emotionally, anyway. Which was fine with Byleth, she wasn’t sure that she was ready for anything more, either. He and Byleth spent a few moments calming themselves and catching their breaths, just looking at each other. The silence between them was comfortable. Warm. Many things still needed to be said between them, undoubtedly, but for now, Byleth was happy to just be in his arms.


End file.
